Pakistan: Two Christians face blasphemy charges in Lahore

Two Christians in Pakistan are facing blasphemy charges that carry the potential for the death penalty. In Lahore, 26-year-old Samuel Arif was arrested on August 29 following allegations made by Muhammad Umair Alam Khan.

According to a First Information Report (FIR), Khan alleged that the incident occurred on August 28 at the Punjab University Staff Colony. Khan claimed that Arif made derogatory remarks about the Prophet Muhammad and his wife, Aisha, and further accused him of attempting to harass his minor daughters. The complainant also alleged that Arif tried to apply an unidentified substance to the girls' faces.

Police have registered the case under Section 295-C of the Pakistan Penal Code, which pertains to derogatory remarks against Muhammad and carries the death penalty, as well as Section 298-A, which covers remarks regarding the Prophet’s family and companions.

Sohail Habil of the aid organization HARDS Pakistan stated that Arif’s family has rejected the allegations. The family believes Arif may have been falsely accused due to a personal dispute. Arif’s family had resided in the university’s Staff Colony for over a decade while his late father worked there as a sanitary worker.